Southern Colleges Catching Up

Penn State And Texas Had The Best Recruiting Classes Early, But 'bama, Uf, Miami And Fsu Are Finishing Strong.

January 30, 2000|By Bill Buchalter of The Sentinel Staff

Blame it on the weather.

Recruiting successes or failures have created a litany of excuses, but the weather? Wow.

That may be why Penn State enjoys such a fast start and perhaps why many Southern schools turn into hard chargers in January.

Penn State and Texas were the early leaders, the Nittany Lions collecting 27 nonbinding, oral commitments before the end of September. Tennessee and Nebraska were the steady programs, the Vols building off their national championship success after the 1998 season and the 'Huskers demonstrating why they and the Florida State Seminoles were considered the programs of the 1990s.

Then there's Alabama, Florida, Miami and FSU leading the hard chargers. They're joined this year by Michigan State and Stanford, who traditionally are not ranked high on recruiting charts.

Phil Grosz, who covers Penn State football with two hats - Blue and White Illustrated and G&W Recruiting - said the different approaches are reflective of different areas of the country.

``Penn State essentially had done 95 percent of its recruiting before the football season was a month old,'' Grosz said. ``Texas usually has 12-14 [commitments) before the end of football season, but mostly that is a northern phenomenon, especially in the Big Ten. The fact winters are so difficult and Penn State is off for four weeks over the Christmas holiday season - it limits them to only four weeks for official visits between December and signing day [Wednesday).''

Grosz also points to the success of Penn State's summer football camps, which last year attracted more than 3,500 players from ninth through 12 grades, including many rising seniors who commit early. By the same token, Grosz sees no reason for Florida schools to change their approach.

``Those schools have a natural advantage because of great weather in December and January,'' he said. ``It's a perfect scenario for them, with the type of success they have had. There are a lot of great players in the state of Florida, but the last couple of years, the Florida schools have taken advantage of the weather to recruit nationally.

``I don't think one approach is better than the other. It's simply a matter of different areas taking advantage of the best assets they have available.''

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno has spent much of the winter taking his home or high school visits. A majority of the time, he is invited by a high school administration to speak to an assembled student body, and he delivers a powerful message.

Most of Paterno's and Penn State's legwork is done in a 250-mile radius of the campus in Happy Valley. Still, for need purposes, Paterno secured an early fall commitment from Parade magazine All-America quarterback Zac Wasserman, from Westlake Village, Calif.

Since Mack Brown arrived in Texas after the 1997 season, the Longhorns' commitments have seemed to come earlier. Brown made it a priority to target top players earlier, and it has paid dividends. The Longhorns have secured commitments from three of Texas' top receiver prospects, B.J. Johnson of South Grand Prairie, Roy Williams of Odessa Permian and Sloan Thomas of Klein.

Tennessee's stream of commitments includes four players already enrolled and available for spring practice. Quarterbacks John Rattay of Phoenix, brother of Louisiana Tech's Tim Rattay, and Casey Clausen, a Parade All-American from Mission Hills, Calif., are in that group. Blocking for the quarterbacks will be Michael Munoz, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer tackle Anthony Munoz.

Nebraska continues to mystify recruiting gurus by getting commitments from mostly unknown players who become college All-Americans. A name to remember is Thunder Collins of East Los Angeles College, a 200-pound junior college running back. Three others who won't remain unknown for long are defensive back Adrian Mayes of Houston, linebacker Jason Richenberger of Liberty, Mo., and tight end Chris Septak of Omama.

As for the late chargers, who had their respective fans holding their breath until mid-January:

UF enjoyed perhaps its best recruiting week since the 1992 recruiting season, with commitments from Parade All-Americans Willie Green, the running back from Osceola, and Darrell Lee, a defensive end from Kirkwood, Mo., plus receiver Reggie Vickers of Belle Glade Glades Central and defensive tackle Bennie Mills of Metairie, La., among others.

Florida State added Michael Boulware of Columbia, S.C. Boulware is the brother of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Peter Boulware, a former FSU All-American, and plays receiver and linebacker. He will complement four top players already enrolled for spring practice - linebacker Kendyll Pope of Lake City; defensive back B.J. Ward of Dallas; receiver Javon Walker, a junior-college transfer; and quarterback Fabian Walker of Americus, Ga.

Miami's Butch Davis kept many of Dade County's top players at home, including Miami Central running back Willis McGahee and Miami Southridge tight end Willie Roberts.

Alabama has commitments from a majority of the South's top linemen and is awaiting word from Memphis' Albert Means, a defensive lineman.

Michigan State, under new Coach Bobby Williams added three of the nation's top skilled athletes - receiver Charles Rogers of Saginaw, Mich.; tight end Eric Knott of Detroit; and running back Tyrell Dortch of Hoboken, N.J. - to a class that already included quarterback Jeff Smoker of Manheim, Pa. Knott faces possible sexual assault charges, though, and his status is unclear.

Stanford enjoyed a blockbuster week, too, with commitments from 310-pound blocker Kwame Harris of Delaware and the nation's No.1 offensive lineman, and running back Brandon Royster of Fairfax, Va.